


Stung By BumbleBY

by Pan1ckedMode



Category: RWBY
Genre: (duh), Bonding over pain, Lots of Angst, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn Knightslayer, This Bromance Cannot Be Healthy, Unexpected Friendship, more to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28768455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pan1ckedMode/pseuds/Pan1ckedMode
Summary: After the events of the Fall of Beacon overwhelm him and cause him to lash out at those around him, Jaune storms out into Mistral intent on finding somewhere to think in the silence or punch someone's head in. The way he feels, he could happily go with either. What he discovers instead is an unlikely bond with Ruby's Uncle Qrow and it sets Jaune on a new path, one that'll lead him to becoming the Huntsman he always dreamed he could be as a child. After all, the hero rarely takes the path radiating safety and ease.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Qrow Branwen, Jaune Arc & Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc/Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Stung By BumbleBY

How long had it been since Beacon fell? How long had it been since they'd lost Pyrr- Jaune shook his head, trying to desperately shake that thought out of his head. That topic was too painful to broach even internally and he had no desire to deal with it any further. Pushing it down and avoiding the thought entirely was the only way to go about things. He didn't deserve to think about her, to remember anything of the memories he shared with her and their teammates. He killed Pyrrha Nikos and deserved every ounce of the pain even recalling her name shoved into his face. 

Team RNJR had crossed the threshold of the world and had ended up in Mistral. After an initial meeting with one Leonardo Lionheart which, according to Ruby's Uncle Qrow had not gone very well and left a bad taste of suspicion in his mouth, though Jaune detected that might be the alcohol he was regularly consuming rather than the situation. Not that he wanted to vocalize such a thought around the man himself. The strange occurrences didn't end there though. Mere hours after returning to the house they were staying in, a drunk Qrow was dragged back to the house with thanks to a young man...who had just claimed to be their deceased Headmaster from Beacon Academy, Ozpin. 

The conversation had ensued hadn't been to Jaune's liking either, it felt like Ozpin/Oscar whatever you wanted to call him was hiding something from them all. Perhaps the deceased man was already harboring those secrets from the young man he was sharing a body with too. It was impossible to tell really. Jaune had not trusted Ozpin fully since what happened with Pyrrha being chosen as the next Maiden and the situation that followed. He wasn't about to forgive him for all of that right now, nor did he think he ever would. 

"You've been staring out that window for a while now," the quiet voice of Lie Ren spoke, "She'd not want you to be brooding like this, Jaune, you know this." 

"How would I know what Pyrrha would've wanted?" Jaune countered harshly, "She's dead, she's not coming back and-" there's a pause from the Arc as he rounds on Oscar, a snarl leaving his lips being the only sound through the tension in the room, "And he's the reason for it!" Another pause from Jaune as the young man named Oscar fell back a step, hoping to put some distance between himself and the Knight. 

"I need some air," he spoke harshly, then turned on heel and without so much as a second glance toward the other occupants of the room, stormed out of the house and slammed the front door behind him. 

"That went well," Qrow stated sarcastically, seeing Ruby naturally advance toward the door, Qrow shook his head, "Not you, kiddo. I'll go after him." then he turned on heel, shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Jaune from the house, though he closed the door much more quietly than the Arc had. 

"Should we be concerned?" Ren asked, his eyes lingering on the door which the Huntsman had just closed behind him, "I don't need to ask for Jaune's sake as I'm already worried about him, but is Qrow really the sort of person that's best qualified to deal with any of this?" 

"Uncle Qrow's a good person," Ruby said in defense of her uncle, "He's a bit rough around the edges, but he cares more than he lets on. Jaune'll be fine with him. I know it." A small sigh caught the crimsonette's attention and she turned her head toward Oscar, "He's not angry with you." 

The young man's eyes flashed with amber and he stood up a little straighter, his grip on the cane being adjusted slightly to feel as though the wielder of it now was far more experienced than what had been there only moments before, "No, Miss Rose," Ozpin agreed, "It's not Oscar he's angry with, but me and this time I cannot fault Mr. Arc for feeling such a way." 

Jaune didn't really keep track of where he was going once he left the room. All the anger he'd been feeling at himself and the world around him for the past few weeks had finally bubbled over and though he'd managed to rein it in before it really took off, he knew removing himself from the situation until he was able to fully handle his temper in the short term was for the best. Whilst the blame did rest with Ozpin for what happened to Pyrrha, it was just as much his own blame to bear. He'd been her leader and he'd been too weak to do anything but fail her. Too pathetic to join in her battle and prevent it from claiming her life. In the end, he was the one that supposed to die on this journey, not Pyrrha. 

"You look like shit." 

Oh, great, Qrow. Just what he needed. The sarcasm lacing Jaune's thoughts was ill-disguised, of all the people he wanted to see right now, Qrow was right near the bottom of the list, perhaps above only Ozpin himself. Qrow had proved to be helpful enough during the tail end of their journey to Mistral, but the man's habits grated on his nerves a little bit. Not too mention he'd tried using his own niece as bait, no matter how evasive he remained about his real reasoning, that's what Jaune thought it really came down to. Or maybe he'd just been too drunk to make any logical decisions, the amount of alcohol he was consuming on a regular basis made Jaune highly doubt there was an ounce of deductive reasoning that had occurred in the older man's mind. 

"Thanks," Jaune fired back, "What d'you want Qrow?" 

"A drinking buddy." 

"A what?" 

"Someone to sit and drink with, trade stories and the like. Look kid, the shit going in your head right now, I think a good drink is exactly what you need."   
Jaune pondered this for a moment. On the one hand, he didn't think a Huntsman in training should be drinking, it was rather unprofessional in his opinion, but on the other hand, the thoughts going through his mind constantly at a hundred miles an hour...well, he knew he wouldn't mind slowing those for a while and alcohol might even give him a chance to sleep without the influence of nightmares which the Arc knew he'd be grateful for even if hangover came the next morning. There's a few moments of silence and then, Jaune finally relents, "Okay," he agreed softly, "let's go then." 

"C'mon then, I know the perfect place. It's a bit off the beaten track since I doubt you'll want to advertise that you're drinking but the service is good enough and it's got a quiet atmosphere. Something I've grown to appreciate." 

The two men resumed walking through the streets in silence, even as they passed various shops and stalls lining the concreted streets, neither Qrow nor Jaune exchanged so much as a grunt between each other as the two seemed more content to focus on their destination rather than holding some kind of conversation that both would see as utterly pointless given that most of what they wanted to say would come out during their drinking session. At the pace they were walking, the space between where they standing and the tavern that Qrow had mentioned practically fell away and soon enough the two of them were pushing their way inside. 

"Let's head to one of the tables near the back, kid." 

Qrow and Jaune had barely taken a seat at their chosen table when they were approached by a bartender. She smiled at the two of them and pulled a notepad and pen from the pocket of her apron. There was a click of the pen, "What can I get for you two fine gentlemen this afternoon?" 

"Two glasses of whiskey on the rocks," Qrow said, he didn't ask for Jaune's opinion on what he thought he should get, but the kid didn't know much or more accurately, anything about drinking and as the semi-responsible adult, he needed to make sure that his companion had the best introduction to it as possible. 

"Of course," The waitress said, jotting down their order and returning to the counter of the bar. Jaune's cerulean pools scanned over the room slowly. Qrow was right about the quietness of this place, aside from them there was only one or two people placed completely on the other side of the room. Though it was still only the afternoon, so that could be another contributing factor. 

"Ozpin's a piece of crap," Jaune said without thinking. 

Qrow laughed, "We ain't even started drinking yet, but I can understand your position kid. Most people don't see the things he suffers with behind the scenes. The burden we all carry is something I'd not wish on anyone. The knowledge we have is...perilious to say the least." 

"And yet," Jaune countered, "He doesn't trust his allies enough to share with them what the plans are." 

"I'm sure he's got his reasons," Qrow continued as the glasses were placed on the table between them. The two men thanked the waittress then the moment she was out of ear-shot, their conversation continued, "Or he's just gotten so used to keeping so many secrets over the years and is incapable of sharing thanks to paranoia or something, hard to tell with that guy." 

"Too difficult," Jaune agreed, "He wants us to trust and follow, but he's unwilling to even throw a rope for us to latch onto knowing what we're getting into. Feels like we're all moving through a dark cave and he refuses to share the torch-light so we can all see where we're going." 

Qrow's brow arched as Jaune finally rose the glass to his lips. He watched as the younger man's glass titled and he took a sip of the liquid. There's a moment of silence and a small cough leaves the Arc's lips, followed by a short bout of coughing. Qrow looked on expecting a complaint, but Jaune simply rose the glass to his lips and took a larger sip of the burning amber liquid. 

"Why'd you follow me anyway?" Jaune asked through his coughing fit, "Did Ruby ask?" 

"Nah," Qrow disagreed, shaking his head, "She wanted to go after you herself, but I decided it'd be better if I did. Ruby's wonderful at comforting people when they're hurting don't get me wrong, she's extraordinarily like her mother in that regard. It just didn't seem to me like that was the sort of comfort you needed right now." 

"You knew Ruby's mom?" 

Qrow laughed, "Knew her? I loved her...more than I could probably put into words, but it was just never a possibility. What with my...situation and other things, I considered it for the best that she ended up with my brother-in-law when my sister left him. I've always been an Outsider looking in. Good with fighting Grimm, not so much at anything else. Interpersonal relationships at the top of the list for things I'm shit with." 

The two men took another long swig from their glasses, Jaune feeling his eyes roll back into his skull, but he managed to keep himself upright. How the hell was Qrow even able to walk after drinking this stuff? Surely the alcohol he consumed on the battlefield and literally everywhere else couldn't be this strong, right? Not only was it unhealthy as hell, he couldn't imagine one having impressive motor skills after even three glasses of such a liquid. They continued to drink well into the night together, with each drink more and more stories about their lives came out. Jaune talked of his time in the village living with his family, his father teaching him about being a Huntsman and becoming frustrated with him when he couldn't deliver results. He told of how he got into Beacon, leading JNPR and all the stories led up to the final one and despite a quivering voice, he managed to tell it. 

"-Then she sent me away, ready and turn to do battle for the sake of everyone. For the sake of the entire world. If I'd have been stronger we could've faced it down together, we could've-" 

"Could've, would've, should've. There's a lot of that in the life of being a Huntsman could. Most agonize themselves toward their own deaths over those kind of thoughts. Greater and far more experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses have died only months after a team-mate passes away. They agonize themselves over the loss, obsessing with what they could've done to protect them or to keep them alive.   
I...I was the same when she died." 

"But you're still?" 

"Alive? In a manner of speaking, kid, in a manner of speaking." 

"Excuse me?" 

Qrow turned his head to see that the waitress from earlier had reappeared and was holding out a tray with a single drink of whiskey upon the surface of it. Jaune thought this was weird since he was sure that he and Qrow hadn't called for another round yet and there was only one drink instead. 

"A gift from the woman upstairs." 

**_End Chapter._ **


End file.
